EMG 81

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EMG 81

Manufacturer	EMG, Inc.
Period	1979–present
Type	Active humbucker
Magnet type	Ceramic magnet
Output specifications
Voltage (RMS), V	1.25
Voltage (peak), V	1.75
Noise, dBV	-91
Impedance, kΩ	10
Current, µA	80
Power requirements
Power source	9 V battery
Battery life, hours	3000
Sonic qualities
Resonant frequency, Hz	2250

EMG 81 is a famous active humbucker guitar pickup manufactured by EMG. It is usually considered as a lead pickup for use in bridge position, paired with EMG 85 as a rhythm pickup in neck position, however, it's not uncommon to see a guitar with two EMG 81s in both bridge and neck positions.

EMG 81 can be recognized by a humbucker form-factor and silver embossed EMG logo.

[edit] History and design

EMG 81 was developed in 1979 along with the EMG 58, and, since 1981, it is the model that made EMG famous. Construction is similar to traditional U-shaped pickups, but there are no separate pole pieces: steel bars (rails) are used instead. This gives pickup more stable and linear sound.

Also, Alnico magnets were replaced with more powerful ceramic ones. While nominal output is the same as EMG 85, lower noise ratio gives more gain opportunity, so, ultimately EMG 81 is loudest of all EMG pickups.

As most other modern EMG pickups, EMG 81 has 3-wire quik-connect output, that comes as a 3-pin male connector on a pickup body and a 3-wire cable to connect it. Easy wire color code scheme that is the same for all EMG products simplifies soldering and installation.